10th Beamer Run set

Find those old Nikes. The 10th Annual Todd Beamer Independence Day Run kicks off the Madras Fourth of July on Tuesday, July 4. The event will consist of a 10-kilometer run, a two-mile fun run/walk/dog run and a six-mile walk. There be no ride-and-tie competition -- the alternating mountain biking and running event which has been a part of many past Beamer runs -- due to poor turnout for it in recent year. The six-mile walkers will meet at Sahalee Park -- the headquarters for the run, and where all events will end -- and start at 7 a.m. 10-K participants will ride a bus to the starting point on Grizzly Road. The bus is scheduled to depart the park at 7:30 and the race to begin at 8 a.m. The two-mile fun run/walk/dog and me event will start at 9 a.m. at the park. Registration forms are available at the Madras Pioneer newspaper at 241 S.E. Sixth St., and in Bend at the Footzone, 845 N.W. Wall St. Participants may also register at the park on the day of the race. Ribbons and prizes will be awarded. The entry fee is $20 to receive a t-shirt, $5 without a t-shirt. The event honors Todd Evans Beamer, who grew up in Madras and was a standout athlete and popular student. He drowned with his four dogs in 1997 during a run while in Madras for a visit. The event funds a spirit scholarship that honors Beamer, who was teaching and coaching high school on the Oregon Coast at the time of his passing. The Fourth of July Parade, which begins about 11 a.m., will follow the running events. There will also be a breakfast served at Sahalee Park in the morning. For further information on the run, contact Bud Beamer at 475-3874.